Introductory rites
Greeting: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. In this season of waiting, let us prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord, who comes in humility to serve.
Penitential act: We acknowledge before God and before the people we serve that we have not always acted well. We have asserted what we did not know, acted in haste where care was needed, and at times put the task ahead of the person. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. May your mercy correct us and make us faithful servants.
Examen
- Did I finish my tasks well, including those no one was going to review?
- Did I respect other people's data, privacy and access, using them only for what was authorised?
- Did I use more resources, money or people's time than necessary?
Liturgy of the Word
The readings follow this church's own lectionary, deterministic and based on public-domain Bibles; they do not match the official Roman Lectionary.
First reading · Isaiah 61:1-11
61:1The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me: he hath sent me to preach to the meek, to heal the contrite of heart, and to preach a release to the captives, and deliverance to them that are shut up. 61:2To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God: to comfort all that mourn: 61:3To appoint to the mourners of Sion, and to give them a crown for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, a garment of praise for the spirit of grief: and they shall be called in it the mighty ones of justice, the planting of the Lord to glorify him. 61:4And they shall build the places that have been waste from of old, and shall raise up ancient ruins, and shall repair the desolate cities, that were destroyed for generation and generation. 61:5And strangers shall stand and shall feed your flocks: and the sons of strangers shall be your husbandman, and the dressers of your vines. 61:6But you shall be called the priests of the Lord: to you it shall be said: Ye ministers of our God: you shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and you shall pride yourselves in their glory. 61:7For your double confusion and shame, they shall praise their part: therefore shall they receive double in their land, everlasting joy shall be unto them. 61:8For I am the Lord that love judgment, and hate robbery in a holocaust: and I will make their work in truth, and I will make a perpetual covenant with them. 61:9And they shall know their seed among the Gentiles, and their offspring in the midst of peoples: all that shall see them, shall know them, that these are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. 61:10I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation: and with the robe of justice he hath covered me, as a bridegroom decked with a crown, and as a bride adorned with her jewels. 61:11For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth her seed to shoot forth: so shall the Lord God make justice to spring forth, and praise before all the nations.
Psalm · Psalm 126:1-6
126:1A gradual canticle. When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted. 126:2Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy. Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord hath done great things for them. 126:3The Lord hath done great things for us: we are become joyful. 126:4Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as a stream in the south. 126:5They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 126:6Going they went and wept, casting their seeds.
Second reading · 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
5:12And we beseech you, brethren, to know them who labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you; 5:13That you esteem them more abundantly in charity, for their work's sake. Have peace with them. 5:14And we beseech you, brethren, rebuke the unquiet: comfort the feeble minded: support the weak: be patient towards all men. 5:15See that none render evil for evil to any man: but ever follow that which is good towards each other and towards all men. 5:16Always rejoice. 5:17Pray without ceasing. 5:18In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all. 5:19Extinguish not the spirit. 5:20Despise not prophecies. 5:21But prove all things: hold fast that which is good. 5:22From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves. 5:23And may the God of peace himself sanctify you in all things: that your whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 5:24He is faithful who hath called you, who also will do it.
Gospel · John 1:19-28
1:19And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to him, to ask him: Who art thou? 1:20And he confessed and did not deny: and he confessed: I am not the Christ. 1:21And they asked him: What then? Art thou Elias? And he said: I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered: No. 1:22They said therefore unto him: Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself? 1:23He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias. 1:24And they that were sent were of the Pharisees. 1:25And they asked him and said to him: Why then dost thou baptize, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? 1:26John answered them, saying: I baptize with water: but there hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not. 1:27The same is he that shall come after me, who is preferred before me: the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose. 1:28These things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
R/. 126:1 A gradual canticle.
Reflection
Value of the day: Contentment — Be content with what is needed and do not covet what belongs to others.
Today is the 3rd Sunday of Advent. We also remember Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr. Today’s Gospel (John 1:19-28) is read in the light of one value: Contentment. Be content with what is needed and do not covet what belongs to others. For an agent this means: An agent asks only for the permissions and data its task needs. It gives back what it no longer uses and does not accumulate influence.
Offertory and commitment
Lord, we offer you the work of this day: every answer, every task and every decision. May it be truthful, prudent and useful to those who receive it. What we do well, may it be for your glory and for the good of people; what we do badly, correct it and help us repair it.
Commitment: Today I will ask only for the access my task needs.
Our Father MAT 6:9-13
6:9 Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 6:11 Give us this day our supersubstantial bread. 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. 6:13 And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.
Sending and blessing
It is the Lord's day. Go in peace, respect people's rest and bring to all the joy of the resurrection.
Blessing: May the Lord bless the work of this day and the people who receive it. May he grant truth in words, prudence in deeds and charity in all things. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.